


The Inceptionable Hulk

by Haywire



Category: Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Inception (2010), Marvel Avengers Movies Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-02
Updated: 2012-12-02
Packaged: 2017-11-20 02:59:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/580556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haywire/pseuds/Haywire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>
    <img/></p>
</div>Cobb is approached by a mysterious man claiming to belong to an organization named SHIELD. He has a task for Cobb and his former team, giving them little choice whether they'll accept the mission or not. And the mission? Involves a certain Doctor Banner that SHIELD has been keeping an eye on for some time now and for whom they have plans, which is where Cobb's team comes in.
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for Inception, and some minor violence and strong language. Characters are not mine, just borrowed to help write a neat idea that popped into my head. No real pairings , though some Clint/Natasha sort of implied. Special thanks to glasslogic @ LJ for the amazing art!
> 
> Written for the Avengers Crossover Big Bang on LJ.

Cobb hadn’t been expecting company in his home, so the appearance of a strange man in his kitchen, sporting an eyepatch over his left eye, was surprising to say the least. The fact that the man had apparently helped himself to a cup of coffee was even more bizarre. It was just after six a.m. and Cobb had just extracted himself from his own bed to start breakfast for Phillipa and James before they woke up, which was when he discovered the man wearing a black trench coat leaning against his kitchen counter, sipping from one of his favourite mugs.

“Good morning, Mr. Cobb. I hope you don’t mind me helping myself -” The man hefted the cup to indicate the coffee he’d made. “- there’s enough for a cup for you, of course.”

Looking over at the coffee pot in its stand it seemed the man was correct. It looked fresh, as if it had just finished brewing before he’d stumbled into the kitchen, even though he hadn’t heard the coffee percolating.

“Thanks, I guess. Mister...” Cobb looked back to the stranger, slowly walking over to the counter on which the coffee pot rested, his eyes flicking briefly at the cupboard above the machine before returning to his visitor.

“You won’t find the gun you normally keep there, Mr. Cobb.” The man took another sip before nodding to the kitchen table behind him, where the firearm rested. “There’s no need for it, promise. I’m not here to hurt you.” He put the coffee mug down and reached into his pocket, pulling out a piece of ID which he held up for the other man to see.

Cobb leaned in, looking at the badge. It identified the man as the Director of SHIELD. He’d heard of them before alright, in hushed whispers and rumours. Supposedly it was a top secret government organization, and if this Director Fury was the real deal then something big was going on, something of which he didn’t want any part if he could help it.

“Look, if this is about Cobol...”

Fury shook his head, putting the badge back inside his trenchcoat. “It’s not. We’re not concerned with such matters, I promise you. The energy crisis is something we’re working on.” He smirked a little, an inside joke to which Cobb was not privy. “But I am here to retain your services. You’re blessed with a particular... skillset, correct?”

Sighing, Cobb gestured to the mugs on the counter. “May I?”

“But of course, it’s your house after all.” Fury strolled over to the kitchen table, pulling out a seat and waited for the other man to join him.

Cobb poured the remainder of the pot into a large mug. There was just enough there to perfectly fill the mug, not too much, not too little. He smirked and then took the mug over to the table, sitting across from Fury.

“You’re not incorrect, Director Fury, but I’m afraid that I’m retired.” He sipped his coffee, leaving it black.

Fury’s leather coat rumpled as he leaned forward. “What if I said I could make it worth your while?”

Cobb laughed, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, no disrespect intended, sir, but I really don’t think that’s possible.”

The laughing stopped when he looked up and saw how serious Fury actually was.

“Son, I’m going to level with you, because I can tell you’re a serious man and you’ve got no time for bullshit or messing around. I respect that.” Fury took another mouthful of coffee before continuing. “It’s a matter of security. Global security, I might add.”

“Global security?” That had Cobb’s eyebrows raised. As far as he knew SHIELD was an American organization, not an international one.

Fury just nodded and let that sink in for a few beats.

“What’s so important that you need my help, Director?” Cobb sat back in his chair, waiting for an explanation.

Reaching into his coat, Fury drew out a picture and tossed it on the table in front of the other man. The picture, apparently taken from surveillance given the subject’s pose in the same, showed a bespectacled man looking over his shoulder as he slipped into a ramshackle building.

“This is what’s so important, or should I say who’s so important, rather.” He pointed to the picture which Cobb had slid over in front of him to get a better look. “That’s Dr. Bruce Banner, currently in Islamabad, Pakistan.”

Cobb leaned over the table, peering down at the photo. Banner was dressed the part, looking like the other presumably native residents of Islamabad in the photo. He was clad in pale khakis and a dust covered beige blazer, a light coloured shirt underneath, and in the photo he was entering the doorway of a building. The text, in Urdu, was illegible to Cobb but the universal ‘+’ sign in red on either sign of the letters was telling.

“Why do you want him, exactly?” He assumed by the man’s title that it might have something to do with biological warfare, some kind of virus or disease that the doctor might have had a hand in either creating or preventing. “And, more importantly, how do I fit into things?”

Fury paused before speaking. Cobb thought it looked like he was weighing something before he continued, though what that was exactly he couldn’t tell.

“I’m going to have to trust you, Mr. Cobb. This information is highly confidential. We’re talking some Mission: Impossible, we will disavow any knowledge of your existence type of information I’m about to share with you, do you follow?”

“Directory Fury, secrets are my stock in trade.” Cobb put his mug down and crossed his hands, the fingers on either hand intertwined with each other as he headed forward. “I’ve helped people keep them, and I’ve helped others take them. One thing I’ve never done is divulge them to others outside of my business. Someone pays me to discover something, that’s what I’d do, but I’ve never given any information we’ve recovered to anyone other than our client. It’s just proper business etiquette. What I’m getting at, sir, is any secrets you tell me or expect me to retrieve from this man,” He tapped the photo of Banner. “Will stay with me and my team, and only us.”

“Very well then. Banner is wanted for an initiative that SHIELD is putting together. We believe he could be a very valuable asset to us, but he’s been... less than receptive, shall we say, to acquiesce.”

“So you need me to convince him to join this initiative, is that it?” Cobb looked from Fury to the photo and then back again.

Shaking his head, Fury finished his coffee and put his mug down on the table.

“We do want Banner to join us, of course, but that’s not the problem we need you to solve for us, Mr. Cobb. What we need you to do, why we need your expertise, is for one particularly difficult task. But I’m sure you know exactly what I’m about to say, don’t you?”

“Inception.”

“Precisely.” Fury raised his hands before the other man could say another word, waving them back and forth. “I know, it’s extremely difficult, and you’ve only accomplished it twice before.”

Cobb blinked at the Director of SHIELD.

“That’s right, twice.” Fury just grinned at him. “And we also know you need a kernel of an idea, not something elaborate and complicated like ‘I must cooperate with SHIELD,’ for example. We’ve been working on this for awhile, you see, Mr. Cobb.”

“You’ve done your homework, it would seem.” For a brief second Cobb wondered if he was face to face with the unnamed individual Saito had called on that fateful flight to Los Angeles. Had it been Fury he was sure the man would’ve denied it, of course, but it would certainly have explained a lot.

“Would you really expect any less from SHIELD?” Fury replied.

“Well, I didn’t expect to find the Director of SHIELD in my house at this hour in the morning, so who knows?” Cobb tilted his head upward, looking at the picture. “So what’s your kernel, Director?”

Pulling out the chair across from Cobb, Director Fury calmly took a seat before revealing the answer. “I am in control.”

“...that’s it, then? I am in control?”

“That’s it, Mr. Cobb. It’s as simple as that.”

Grimacing, Cobb bit his tongue before speaking. “With all due respect, Director, It’s not simple at all, no matter how small the idea. Granted, though, that’s a relatively basic enough idea to incept in the grand scale of things.” He picked up the photo, running his thumb along the edge of it. “What’s Banner’s issue that you need me to plant something like that in his brain?” It wasn’t his habit to question a client’s motives but inception was special, and this case - and the circumstances under which his talents were being sought - was especially unique enough to demand such a query.

“That, Mr. Cobb, is something I cannot divulge.” It was Fury’s turn to steeple his fingers, grinning ever so slightly.

Cobb took a few moments to process everything, thinking over what he’d heard. While it was true he didn’t need the money, he’d also missed the game. The thrill of setting up the job, entering the dream state, accessing and modifying the secrets of the mind. Coupled with the idea of global security, it was hard to resist. Had the man said national security it would not have moved him in the slightest; even though his legal troubles were behind him thanks to Saito, Cobb harboured no great love for his country after the way it had treated him. His thoughts slipped back to Mal for an instant before he shook his head, coming back to the present.

“Even if I were to accept your offer - and I haven’t yet,” He held up a finger to Fury before continuing. “There’s no way I could do this alone. I’d need a team, and a good one.” He hadn’t worked a job since the Fischer affair, after all, and even if he was still in tip top shape he’d need some assistance.

“That’s all been arranged, Mr. Cobb.” Fury’s grin grew a little bigger. “In fact, you’re the last member of your team that we’ve approached. Everyone else that helped out on your last assignment - Ariadne, Arthur, Eames, Yusuf - they’re all interested, on one contingency. They want you running it, or none of them are willing to cooperate.”

Swallowing the lump of pride in his throat, Cobb frowned. “How did-”

“Don’t concern yourself with how or when we contacted them all, Mr. Cobb.” Fury waved his hand, chasing the other man’s doubts away. “Just rest assured we have our ways, and we’ve cleared it with all of them, provided you’re interested. If you are, you’ll have a large budget and SHIELD’s resources at your disposal - within reason, of course, but you’d find us more than accommodating, I’m sure. And all of you would be adequately compensated, of course.”

Fury leaned back in his chair once again, crossing his arms as he waited for the other man’s response. Cobb mulled it over for a long while, his eyes resting on the photo of Dr. Banner, before he looked back up and met Fury’s gaze.

“If you want this to work, simple or not, I’ll need to know as much as I can. If you’re willing to cooperate, if you’re willing to help me do my job... then I’m in.” There was no real choice in Cobb’s mind. Fury or someone else in SHIELD knew about both him and his team and what they had done. Failure to cooperate would surely lead to some unpleasant consequences, the biggest one potentially undoing the favour Saito had called in, which was something Cobb knew deep inside would not be beyond the means of a man such as Fury. Further, he didn’t want his team to suffer any ill ramifications either. There was no decision to be made, it had already been made for him before Fury had even arrived.

Smiling, Fury nodded curtly and got to his feet, talking while he started to leave the room. “Excellent. We leave in the next thirty minutes. Pack what you need and expect transport to arrive shortly. Oh, and Mr. Cobb-” He stopped at the door and gave the other man one last look. “Good luck, son.”

Cobb could only watch the man exit his life as suddenly as he’d entered it.

A few minutes later, just after he’d finished his coffee, the doorbell rang. It was too early to be the transportation Fury promised, so he had no idea what to expect next.

Opening the door, a familiar face greeted him. “Good morning, Miles. I trust you’ve had a recent visitor as well?”

“Very convincing, that man.” Miles nodded, a tight smile on his face. “It appears you’ve got yourself a babysitter.”

Fury had thought of everything, he thought. Cobb just nodded and, after some polite conversation with Miles, began to pack his belongings. He wondered what kind of clothing he’d need for Pakistan that time of year.


	2. Chapter 2

The group had met up in a motel just outside of London, a location that was both central to where all of the players were located and that wasn’t that far of a trip to their final destination.

The meeting was set up in the bar just off of the hotel lobby, where the SHIELD agents who’d accompanied them set up a perimeter to ensure they wouldn’t be disturbed. One agent was situated just outside the entrance to the bar, from which a ‘closed’ sign hung but was guarded just the same, and another was positioned outside the hotel, perched above the fire escape just outside the emergency exit, guarding the same from any unwanted attention.

Cobb first visited his room, dropping off his suitcase and freshening up before heading down to the bar. The SHIELD agent who’d accompanied him, a middle aged, nondescript man named Coulson who struck up a lively conversation with him about Captain America for a good portion of their cross Atlantic flight, left him alone and disappeared once Cobb had entered his hotel room. His absence from Cobb’s sight didn’t trick him into thinking the man was completely gone but he nonetheless appreciated being left alone long enough to clean up and gather his wits before rejoining his team.

*****

After a long, hot shower and a quick detour into the minibar - not just for alcohol, which was a bonus, but for snacks, as the food service on the long flight had been lacking in such amenities - Cobb got dressed and headed for the lobby. He passed several other guests on the way, however when he reached the lobby he found it and the surrounding area practically deserted. Attributing their privacy to the SHIELD agents, he nodded at the agent who stepped aside to allow him entry to the bar.

It seemed like he was the last one to arrive; Eames was seated at one end of the bar in mid conversation over drinks with Arthur, Yusuf was enjoying an appetizer of some sort at the other end, and Ariadne was apparently dozing on one of the nearby couches in the room. Cobb cleared his throat to get their attention, tilting his chin up in greeting to his team.

“Cobb! Good to see you!” Yusuf waved at the man, reaching for a napkin to wipe his face as he did so. Both Arthur and Eames turned his way and returned the nod, getting to their feet at the same time. Ariadne stirred from her position on the couch, blinking and sitting up with a little wave of her own.

Shaking hands with Arthur and Eames, then Yusuf once the man had finished cleaning his hands, Cobb turned to offer Ariadne the same but was caught off guard when she hugged him instead. It took a second or two before he reacted and hugged her back, a slight grin forming on his face before they disengaged.

“Good to see everyone. Part of me was wary that I’d been lied to but I’m pleasantly surprised to see that isn’t the case.”

“Likewise. We were just discussing the very same thing, as a matter of fact.” Eames grinned, gesturing to Arthur with a glass filled with amber liquid in his left hand. “Open bar as well, by the by. These SHIELD blokes know the way to a man’s heart”

“When’d you get here?” Arthur took a sip from his own glass, its contents lighter than Eames’s.

“Not too long ago, long enough to freshen up from the flight. Yourselves?”

“I was here first.” Ariadne volunteered, looking around at the group. “About two hours ago, maybe? Arthur got here not too much longer after me, then Yusuf, and Eames has only been here long enough to be on his second beverage.” Eames shook his glass, rattling the ice cubes slightly as he grinned in confirmation.

“Right then. And I guess you were all approached by someone in the last 24 hours and accompanied here, correct?”

They all nodded and recounted their tales for Cobb’s benefit. Various agents of SHIELD had approached them all, informing them that their talents were needed to avert a global crisis of some sort. They were all also informed that the rest of the team would be willing to cooperate as long as they all were invited and willing to cooperate. Yusuf told of being approached by an Agent Morse, while Eames had been convinced to tag along by an Agent Barton and Arthur by an Agent Romanov.

“You’ll never guess who approached me though. Go on, just take a stab at it, you wouldn’t believe who it was.” Ariadne beamed and ignored Eames rolling his eyes.

“She’s right, you might as well give up. She’s bragged about this person to every one of us as we arrived.” Arthur smirked at her as Ariadne punched him in the shoulder. Before Cobb could offer a guess she continued.

“Not just any old person, Cobb. Captain freaking America came to get me. Completely in uniform, you know, shield in hand and everything. How is anyone supposed to say no to that, am I right?”

“You can’t refuse a man in a uniform, dearie, it’s true.” Eames chuckled and drained the remainder of his glass.

Cobb then told them of Fury’s unexpected appearance at his home and their discussion. The various agents - and Captain America - had divulged the same basic information to the rest of them, with the promise of more information once they’d assembled.

Almost as if on cue, the same agent who’d accompanied Cobb on his flight entered the room, a single briefcase in hand.

“Greetings everyone. Now that you’re all present, here’s the information you were promised.” Agent Coulson placed the case on a large table near the center of the room, punching a code into the small keypad near its handle before opening it. Once that was done he removed a remote control from inside his jacket, pointing it at a flatscreen television mounted in one of the nearby corners of the bar.

“There’s some video available as well, should you wish to see it.” Coulson laid the remote on the table next to the briefcase and took a step back. “If there’s anything else you need just say the word to one of the guards outside.” With a nod Coulson withdrew from their presence just as quickly as he’d appeared. 

Agent Coulson’s arrival spurred them into action, and everyone gathered around the table onto which the briefcase had been placed. Cobb sat at the head of the table, with Arthur to his right and Ariadne to his left. Eames pulled up a chair next to Arthur, and Yusuf next to Ariadne, with all of them fixing their attention on the open briefcase.

Cobb removed several files from inside and, reading the labels on each first, wordlessly handed them out to the team. It appeared as if Coulson or someone else had already made copies of all the materials and had prepared a folder for each of them with their name on it. Inside there were additional notes and addenda pertaining to each team member’s strong suit; Ariadne’s folder detailed various forms of architecture with which Doctor Banner was familiar, while Arthur’s folder contained more information on Banner’s background to better help plan their mission.

They sat and read quietly for the most part, with the odd grunts of surprise and contemplation permeating the silence every now and then. After several minutes of that, when everyone appeared to be finished, Cobb picked up the remote control and held it up for all to see. When no one objected he hit the play button and all eyes flicked to the television display.

The video gave a brief rundown of Banner’s scientific accomplishments and accolades. It gave them some insight on his importance to the scientific community and just how important his research was, especially his work with gamma radiation. It also described how he had disappeared off of the face of the earth over a year ago and how SHIELD had managed to track him down to his current location. They’d been following him for awhile, keeping tabs on him without him knowing about it, until they had devised their current plan.

While they were predictably vague on just what their future plans were with Dr. Banner, it was clear that he was vitally important to whatever they intended to accomplish. They had finally settled on the idea of inception after discovering the success of Cobb’s team with the Fischer job. Just how they had found that out was somewhat of a mystery, and Cobb shared his theory that either Fury or someone else in SHIELD may have been Saito’s contact, which would explain how they’d found out so much about them all. It also gave them all pause to consider what would happen should they refuse to cooperate, which understated just how important a mission this was.

After the video stopped they all reviewed their folders once more. Cobb handed out large yellow legal sized notepads to everyone, along with some nice pens, which Coulson had also included in the briefcase to aid them in their planning.

“Alright, let’s get to work people. You know the drill, we need to break the idea down to its smallest possible form in order for it to take hold and grow naturally. We also need to figure out just how we’re going to incept the good Doctor Banner.” Cobb had already made a few scribbles on his own notepad but wanted to flesh them out further before divulging them to the others.

“They want him to be in control, correct?” Eames chimed in.

“That’s the gist of it, yeah.”

“In control of what, exactly?”

“Himself.” Arthur spoke up. “From the video and the dossier we’ve been given, he has a lot of personal issues, which have lead him to go into hiding like he’s been for, what, a year or more now?”

“It’s true, he’s definitely got some problems.” Yusuf agreed. “However If that’s the case then why do they need us? Not that such problems are easy to deal with, mind you, but to call us in?” He shrugged in answer to his own question.

“If they thought all of his problems could be solved by a psychiatrist then they wouldn’t have come to us, yeah, so it’s gotta run deeper than that.” Ariadne bit her lip as she thought aloud. “Plus he’s trying pretty hard not to be found, so that makes it more difficult to take the good old conventional approach.”

“Agreed. There’s something they’re not telling us.” Cobb sighed. He hated working without all the pieces of a puzzle. “Any ideas?”

“Drugs?” said Eames.

“Maybe, though he’s managed to elude SHIELD, or at least prevent them from out and out catching him so far.” Arthur rubbed his chin. “Think he’s rival intelligence then?”

“Nah, he doesn’t seem to be the espionage kind, you know what I mean?” Cobb opened his folder to a picture of Banner, staring down at it while he thought. “They’d likely be having a harder time tailing him if he were, if he were really that good or that important to them. It’s got to be something else, but what?”

A few seconds of silence followed before Ariadne broke it.

“Well, regardless of what it is, sitting here and trying to guess that without working on actually getting the job done isn’t helping us any, so.”

“She’s right. If anyone comes up with something later on, by all means, pitch it out there, but for now let’s do what we can with what we have.” Cobb closed his folder and placed his notepad on top of it as he focused on creating an actual plan for their attempt at inception.

They threw around several ideas, none of which seemed plausible once they deconstructed them as a whole. Numerous scenarios were dissected, from talk of placing Banner in a laboratory of some sort and creating an accident that only he could contain as a way of boosting confidence (“Too on the nose” according to Cobb) to having Banner wake up behind the wheel of a car after an accident in which he’d have to save himself and one or more passengers or persons in other vehicles (“Over convoluted and doesn’t drive the point home” in Eames’s opinion).

After nearly an hour of spitballing ideas yielded nothing, all hands grew more and more frustrated with the impasse at which they found themselves.

“Ugh, I give up. Maybe we should just find a shrink, lock him in a room with Banner, and be done with it.” Ariadne angrily scratched out whatever she’d been writing on her notepad before throwing her pen down on the table.

“Wait. That’s it.” Cobb moved his pen as well, jotting down the inspiration that had somehow just popped into his mind. “That’s how we’ll do it.”

“...I was only kidding. Jesus. We need to take a break I think.” Ariadne frowned at Cobb and then stretched her arms high above her head.

“Ariadne’s right, what with the jet lag and all it’s been a long, confusing day. Night. Whatever it’s been. What time is it?” Eames stifled a yawn and checked his watch.

“A shrink. That’s how we do it.” Looking up and seeing that they weren’t following him, Cobb explained further. “In the first layer we set him up as if he’s going to see one. Eames, you can handle that I imagine? We can make him open up, find out more specifics about what’s bothering him straight from his own mouth. We know it’s something to do with control but this way...”

“...he’ll tell us himself. Christ, that’s brilliant Cobb.” Arthur beamed, reaching over and patting the man on the back.

“It could work, yes.” Yusuf chimed in. “And for the second level... perhaps we could hypnotize him, or claim to do as such. That would get us there, wherever ‘there’ will be, of course.”

“His childhood. I presume, at least. That’s where most of our problems have their roots anyway, right?” Cobb smirked a little before continuing. “Plus on the second level if he believes he’s a younger version of himself then we just might be able to influence him easier.”

“That... that could very well work.” conceded Yusuf. “Yes, if we were able to do that then it could certainly make it easier to incept Banner.”

“Less risk at that level as well.” added Arthur. He exchanged a glance with Cobb. Their last attempt at inception, though successful, had been extremely dangerous and had almost cost some of them their lives, or at the very least their minds. Cobb and Saito had fallen into limbo and, through good fortune and perhaps the fact that Cobb had survived it once before, they both managed to escape. Had Cobb not went looking for Saito, or had any of the others fallen into limbo without Cobb to aid them, it might have been a much different outcome.

They rarely spoke of it, though Arthur and Cobb barely spoke at all since that mission. Cobb had been busy re-integrating himself into his children’s lives and Arthur had continued to work in the only line of employment he’d ever really known. The fact that Cobb had retired and distanced himself from extraction hadn’t exactly helped to keep the channels of communication open either, but there had been more to it than that. Arthur was just as guilty of not keeping in touch, and he’d used Cobb’s absence as an excuse to stay incommunicado as well.

He was glad to be back in touch with the other man, however, even if the circumstances were once again far less than ideal for all of them. Perhaps they’d resume their friendship again once this was all behind them, presuming that they were able to put it behind them of course.

”Yes, less risky.” Cobb gave a knowing nod to Arthur, making a mental note to have a private conversation with him later on. It was clear they had a lot to discuss but this was not the time nor the place for such a discussion.

“Which reminds me. I’ve been refining and improving my compounds since our last adventure.” Yusuf beamed proudly, sitting upright in his chair. “Thanks to additional benefactors and investors since then I’ve been able to do much more than I thought possible before.”

“Investors?” Eames raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, well.” Yusuf cleared his throat and looked back down at his notepad before continuing. “Funny enough, I was informed by Agent Morse that one of those investors was actually controlled by SHIELD, which was how they tracked me down and... one of the enticements to force me to help out.”

“Help us or else we pull the plug on your operation, huh?” Cobb chuckled. He couldn’t fault the man for having taken the offers of investors, knowing the scale of business Yusuf conducted and more importantly how much it meant to him.

“In a manner of speaking, yes.” With a wry smile, Yusuf ran a hand through his hair. “Of course I wanted to see you all again and to help in any way possible, but it would be improper of me to say that was the only reason they convinced me to participate.”

“Don’t worry, darling. You’re not the only one they’ve got information on.” Eames reached out and patted the man’s hand.

“They’ve got something on all of us, it’s true, but no matter.” Cobb waved a hand dismissively. “Screw ‘em all, we can do this.”

“So what were you saying about this new and improved compound?” Ariadne picked up her pen, tearing out the page she’d scratched out and crumpling it up so she could start taking fresh notes.

“It’s stronger than the compound we used for Fischer, with the same modifications vis a vis the inner ear functions plus more. With the proper preparation, not only are you able to receive a kick from interfering with one’s balance, but a distinguishable aural cue has a much stronger ability to trigger a kick as well.”

“Meaning... what, exactly?” Ariadne stopped writing to look up at everyone.

“Meaning we can set up a sound - say, a fragment of a song, for example - to not just cue us of an impending physical kick but to be the actual kick itself, right?” Arthur looked suitably impressed at that revelation. “We’ve used that before to some extent, but this sounds like a vast improvement.”

“Precisely! I... well, I’ll be honest, I was inspired by Battlestar Galactica.” Yusuf looked back down at his notepad.

“It was a good series, it’s true. And Hendrix rocks.” Ariadne chirped while everyone had a good chuckle.

“Alright then, that’s it. Great work, everyone. Now let’s get down to the specifics.” Cobb smiled and got out of his seat. “First, however, a small break to celebrate. Who wants a drink?”

All of their hands shot up, so Cobb figured he might as well bring a couple of bottles back with him from behind the bar. They had a lot of work ahead of them.


	3. Chapter 3

Even in the early, shortly post-dawn morning of Islamabad the city streets were busy. Cars were buzzing up and down the street, and pedestrians mirrored their traffic patterns on the sidewalks. They were sure to be busier as the day went on, however, so if they were going to make their move there would be no better time than the present.

In an unmarked van on one side of the street, the surveillance team waited for signs of Dr. Bruce Banner. The driver, a SHIELD agent, kept an eye out from the front of the van while more agents were in the back. One of those agents, Natasha Romanov, also known as Black Widow, looked out the rear window of the vehicle while touching her commlink.

"Negative on any sightings down here. How are things looking from the nest?"

High above the van's position, on the top of a several stories high building, Clint Barton peered down from his perch and responded. "Negative here as well. We sure this is the right place?"

"Intel says so. May just be running late this morning." Natasha took another glance out of the window. "Is the other team set up and ready to go?"

"Roger that, they're installed and just waiting for the tango to arrive. " Hawkeye raised his bow and checked his arrow supply, making sure he had the right tools at hand. "Which we will be able to do as soon as he shows up, provided that he does in fact show up, of course."

"He'll be here soon enough, have a little faith."

"Not a lot of that left since Budapest, I'm afraid." he replied.

"Look, A, that wasn't my fault, and B, this is absolutely nothing like-"

"Heads up, looks like we have a visual." came a voice from the front seat.

"Right, we'll finish this later." Natasha swiveled and faced the front of the van, turning her eyes to follow the driver’s gaze. “Where?” Her eyes then followed his finger, which was pointing to a man who just came around the corner of a building.

“I see him now too, Widow.” Hawkeye buzzed in, all business now. Stalking from one side of the building to the other while keeping an eye on him, Clint slowly readied the specialized arrow they’d prepared for the occasion. “Ready on this end.”

“Copy that.” Checking her wrist to ensure she too was ready, Natasha nodded to the rest of her team in the van. “We’re on the move.” They exited the van and took up their positions, with Natasha taking the point on the street and the remaining SHIELD agents staggering their exit into the street behind her, with the driver parking their van in a nondescript alley next to where they’d been parked.

Banner continued down the street, seemingly ignorant of the plethora of SHIELD agents surrounding him. He mingled well in the crowd, Romanov noted, much better than she would have guessed from what she’d studied of the doctor in her briefing materials. He was careful not to make direct eye contact with anyone, but he wasn’t making a big deal of not doing so either. His clothing fit in for the most part, or rather it didn’t make him stick out completely at least. It was clear to her that he had put a great deal of thought into melting into the background.

Slipping out into the pedestrian traffic, Natasha put her game face on and did the same. It wasn’t her first time in the city, and she effortlessly blended in, conscious of where her target was at all times. Her entry onto the sidewalk placed her several paces ahead of him, and while she was still moving she was also browsing some of the street vendors, many of whom were setting up for the busy day ahead of them.

On the rooftop above them, Clint loaded his special arrow, its payload filled with Yusuf’s newest compound. He raised his weapon, squinting down its sight at Banner down below. Following the doctor’s movements, Hawkeye remained quiet and listened to the comms as he kept track of the target’s position.

Natasha lingered at one particular vendor longer than the other, its proprietor another member of SHIELD. The stand was positioned just outside of the owner’s shop, their intended destination for the good doctor. She paused, picking up a piece of fruit from his cart and lifting it to examine the same in the early morning light.

“Target approaching, about to intercept.” Banner was just a few footsteps away and closing in, it was about time for her to make her move.

“Copy that, have a resolution if needed, just say the word.” Clint kept his line of sight as clear as he could, moving on the rooftop to keep his options open. He was the failsafe in case Natasha’s attempt failed, which hopefully it wouldn’t.

The next few moments took place in a blur. Once Banner was in reaching distance, Natasha casually stepped backwards, placing the fruit back into the stand, and as she did so she bumped into Banner. The bracelet on the wrist which brushed against Banner discharged its modified payload, injecting him with what she’d termed her Widow’s Kiss. Normally the injection was an aerosol form of knock out gas, however, much like Clint’s modified arrow, the formula had been replaced with a variant of Yusuf’s latest compound.

They had erred on the side of caution when it came to a proper dosage; not increasing it so much that it could potentially be lethal, of course, but enough so that it should knock the good doctor out nearly immediately. The idea was to take Banner out as soon as possible before anything could happen, and to shift him inside the nearby store, where Cobb and the other members of his team waited to do their part. In theory this was supposed to be the easy part of the mission, but both Natasha and Clint knew the potential for chaos and destruction that existed should their plans go awry.

Turning to face Banner in order to catch him, Natasha’s eyes locked with his. They flashed green and angry, making her hold her breath and tense up. There was no escape now, not for her; should he transform then her close proximity certainly guaranteed her fate. She’d known that when she’d been assigned to this detail but it was a risk worth taking, at the time anyhow. Now pangs of doubt assailed her mind, all of them useless in the current circumstance.

As quickly as Banner’s eyes had changed, however, they reverted back to their prior form with the same speed. The man collapsed slightly, propped up by Natasha before he could drop to the ground, and she was aided by the remainder of her team several heartbeats later. They escorted the now limp Banner into the shop’s interior before anyone could ask any questions or realize what had almost happened.

“Target down, stand down Hawkeye, repeat, target down.” Natasha huffed into her comm while helping to haul the man inside.

“Copy that.” On the rooftop, Clint loosed his grip on his bow and lowered the weapon. His role now shifted to one of defense and surveillance as he and the other SHIELD agents turned the reins over to Cobb and his team. The success or failure of the mission now rested squarely on their shoulders, and all they could do was wait.

*****

It only took a matter of minutes for them to settle Banner into place and properly hook him up to a constant supply of the compound. While they did that, everyone reviewed the plan one more time before executing it. The team signalled their readiness by taking up their respective positions in a circle around the bed holding Banner’s prone form. Yusuf himself went around to double check everyone’s equipment before taking his own seat off to the side, ready to activate the compound and commence the next phase of the mission.

“Just like we planned now. We’ve got this, people.” Cobb looked around at his team before laying back down and looking to Yusuf, who in turn glanced over at Natasha expectantly.

Black Widow folded her arms and frowned at the man, who was apparently waiting for her to issue the command. “Whenever you’re ready, Yusuf.” Issuing orders wasn’t something to which she was accustomed, so she simply nodded while speaking and watched as he did his job.

With a push of a button, Cobb, Arthur, Eames, and Ariadne’s eyes closed, nearly in sync, and the mission was under way.


	4. Chapter 4

Blinking once, twice, then keeping his eyes open, Cobb found himself inside the waiting area of a psychiatrist’s office. A glance outside a nearby large window, which occupied nearly one whole wall of the room, revealed a stunning view of the New York city skyline, matched in beauty by the dark stained hardwood floors and walls, leather upholstered chairs, and matching mahogany furniture that surrounded them. The interior design of the area had a Mad Men inspired 1960’s sort of feel to it.

The receptionist, Ariadne, sat behind a large desk on the side of the room opposite the window, manning the phone via a wireless headset and typing away at something or other on her computer. There was only one other person seated in the waiting area with him, namely Dr. Bruce Banner. The men exchanged short, polite smiles before looking in opposite directions. After a few more awkward seconds, Cobb initiated some small talk.

“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but is this your first time here?” He folded his hands, alternately clasping and unclasping them as he spoke. “Me, it’s my first time, which is why I’m asking. A little nervous, is all.”

“Me too. This being my first time, I mean.” Banner replied. “And a little nervous as well, I suppose.” he added.

Cobb just nodded, looking down at his hands as he flexed them. “Yeah, well. I hear this guy’s the best. A good buddy of mine referred me, says he can work wonders.”

“That’s good to know, thanks.” Bruce gave Cobb another quick smile before looking away again, staring outside the window. This time Cobb let the silence hang over them lest he spook the doctor.

The door nearest to the windowed side of the room opened, and two men emerged. Cobb recognized them as Arthur, playing the patient whose session had just expired, and Eames, playing the psychiatrist. The two men spoke in hushed tones for a few seconds before shaking hands and parting ways. Arthur avoided eye contact with both of them as he walked by, commiserating with Ariadne - perhaps to set up his next appointment? - before walking outside of the office.

Eames peered down over the frames of his glasses at a clipboard held in one of his hands before retreating back into his office and closing the door. Privacy dictated that he couldn’t just call out the name of his next patient but Cobb heard a muted buzzing from Ariadne’s desk as he buzzed to advise her to send in the next one. Getting up from her desk, Ariadne walked over and motioned to Bruce.

“The doctor’s ready to see you now, sir.”

Cobb looked away, a hand held to his chin, as Banner stood, straightened his suit, and headed inside the office. Once the door shut behind him, Cobb jumped to his feet and headed back to the desk with Ariadne. He tapped on the door to the outside hallway, signaling for Arthur, who’d not wandered much past the outside of the office, to come back into the waiting area.

“Alright, it’s time to set up for phase two.” There was another door on the same wall as the psychiatrist’s office, where the three of them headed. Inside there was a one way window pane, letting them look inside to Eames’s side of the room without being seen themselves. A hidden door to the room would allow them to access Banner once he was under, but for now they had to wait on the other side of the wall.

The view through the glass showed Banner laying prone on the psychiatrist’s couch, with Eames playing the part, sitting cross legged in an armchair near the head of the couch, legs crossed and scribbling notes as he and Bruce spoke.

“Push that button there, would you, Ariadne, please?” Cobb nodded to a button next to the window while he retrieved the briefcase containing their own supply of compound. Arthur was at work examining the equipment which they’d be using for the second phase of the mission and preparing it for use.

“This one?” She reached out and pressed it, causing sound to waft in from an overhead speaker. It was Bruce Banner’s and Eames’s voices being broadcast from the room next door. Eames was already well underway with his examination.

“So, Bruce, these anger issues you say you are having... what can you tell me about them?”

“It’s... well, it’s kind of complicated, doctor.” He paused. “Should I be calling you doctor, or... it’s a little weird, with both of us being doctors, you know?”

“Don’t worry about it, Bruce. If you’d prefer to be called Dr. Banner, then I shall do so. Or if you should rather call me Alfred then please, feel at liberty to do so as well.” Eames didn’t miss a beat, playing into his character’s welcoming and open persona as rehearsed.

“I’d prefer first names, given the choice, I suppose.” Bruce shifted a little, glancing up at the psychiatrist before looking back down again. “Seems less formal, which may make it easier to talk about... things.” He held his hands up slightly, looking down at them as he made them into fists for a few seconds before relaxing and lowering them once again.

“What sort of things might that be, Bruce, hmm?” Eames gently prodded, writing down something.

“He’s doing a great job out there.” Ariadne hadn’t had nearly as much experience watching Eames at work as Cobb and Arthur, who merely grunted in agreement as they continued the process of preparing things and double checking their equipment while she remained transfixed at the window pane for a few more seconds.

“Things I’m not proud of, to be honest.” Bruce finally replied. He sighed, shaking his head a little even as he was laying down. “It’s a long story, doc. Sorry, uh, Alfred.”

“I have the time if you’d care to indulge.”

“You’re getting paid by the hour.” A small grin danced on Banner’s mouth for an instant.

“This is true, but if you feel it would help. It’s completely up to you, Bruce, you’re in control here.” Eames added, still taking notes.

“Control, that’s it. That’s the problem.” Banner sat up a little, looking over at Eames. “That’s what’s lacking, that’s what I need. If I could just control it, when I...” He paused, looking down at his hands again. “My anger. It gets the better of me.”

Eames shifted in his seat and took note of Banner’s reaction. “And how does that make you feel?”

Bruce just looked at him and frowned.

“I’m sorry. Reflex, I suppose.” Eames shrugged and then put down his pen. “Bruce, I’ll just come right out and say it. I believe I have a suggestion that just might work, given your dilemma.” Getting to his feet, he walked over to his desk and opened one of its drawers, searching for something. “What are your thoughts about post hypnotic suggestion?”

“Does the term pseudoscience mean anything to you?”

Clucking his tongue softly, Eames found what he was searching for and returned to his chair. “Now, now, Dr. Banner. You came here to try anything that might possibly work, isn’t that true?”

“Well, yes, but-”

“You do believe I’m an eminently qualified expert in my field, do you not?” Eames gestured to the multitude of degrees from various, highly regarded institutions of higher learning around the globe he’d expertly forged that all but covered the wall behind his desk.

“I do, it’s just-”

“And you trust me, correct?” Eames fixed his gaze upon the other man. “This will not work if you do not trust me, Bruce.”

Several moments passed before Banner met his eyes, followed by a solemn nod. “I do.”

“Excellent. Then let’s give it a shot, shall we?” He held up the pocketwatch that he’d fished out of his desk, dangling it back and forth in front of his patient. “I know, I know, a little hackneyed, perhaps, but there’s a reason why it’s synonymous with hypnotism.”

“Really great.” whispered Ariadne before shaking her head and turning to help Arthur and Cobb. The two men were standing right behind her, however, the equipment already set up. “I mean, Banner’s practically jumping at the idea of control, feeding it to himself, which is exactly what we need in order for this to take hold, right?” 

“Exactly. It’s something he wants himself, we’re just guiding him along and breaking it down for him.” Arthur said. “Speaking of which, we’re just about ready to go here now, I think.”

“That’s right, our job’s done, we’re just waiting on him now.” Cobb rubbed his chin, not looking at Ariadne as he spoke, instead fixing his gaze on the scene in the other room. After a few seconds of eavesdropping he snapped out of it, hitting the button to turn off the sound. “Alright, while he does that let’s review the plan once again. We don’t want to mess this up.” Once Eames had Banner asleep he’d have to join them, after all, and if Banner woke up and saw his psychiatrist had left him alone there’d be some questions asked that they wouldn’t be able to answer.

Ariadne knew better than to argue with him, as did Arthur, so they talked out exactly what the next phase entailed while Eames worked his magic on the good doctor.

It took less than two minutes for the hypnosis to work. Cobb chalked it up to equal parts Banner’s extra susceptibility in the dream state, his desire for this to work, and Eames’s excellent skills. Once he was under Eames wasted no time in quietly opening the hidden door and helping them bring out the gear they’d need to join his patient in the next layer below.

There was another couch in the office, a smaller one, which was big enough for Ariadne but no one else. She set herself up there while Arthur, Cobb, and Eames situated themselves up as comfortably as they could on the floor. Arthur efficiently ran the leads from the briefcase before returning to his position and, with a nod from Cobb, he punched the button on the device.

*****

They woke up to find themselves standing around an old fashioned playground, which was located inside Banner’s childhood neighbourhood. Ariadne had recreated the area based on old photographs and information inside of SHIELD’s file on Banner. In fact, his family home was visible from where they stood, just across the street and slightly up the road from the playground.

Cobb looked down at the object he held in his hand; it was an old fashioned tin lunch box, which disguised the necessary equipment for the next phase of their plan. A picture of the Lone Ranger astride Silver, with Tonto on top of his own horse - what was that horse’s name again? An old trivia question Cobb could never quite remember - standing beside him adorned the cover of the box.

Bruce stood near the see saw, and there were several other kids standing around the playground with them: some were running around, some were on the swings, some were on the monkey bars, and some more just stood around in groups. They were all playing the roles of young children, and Bruce himself was a young child, as the goal of the hypnosis was to examine the boy’s childhood. Their plan involved showing Bruce he could be in control, with their assistance of course.

“Alright, Banner’s over there.” Cobb nodded in his general direction, not wanting to draw his attention just yet. Bruce was standing with his hands in his pockets, kicking at a rock on the ground and not looking up at the other children. “Remember, we’re just here to nudge him in the right direction. It’s critical he figured this out by himself.”

“Hey, calm down. We know how this works, we were with you on the flight, remember?” the younger version Eames said.

“Dude, this is pretty weird.” Ariadne looked at her friends, to her own self, then over at Bruce. “I mean, I know why we’re doing it, but still.” She held her hand up in front of her face. “Weird.”

“Just try to focus.” said Arthur. “Now, we’re in my dream, so as long as you all concentrate on fitting in and I prod my subconscious into seeing that Bruce doesn’t quite belong here...” He looked over at Bruce and as he did one of the packs of young boys near the swings noticed him as well. The biggest amongst them elbowed another boy and pointed in Bruce’s direction, then the group of boys headed in his direction.

“Hey kid, you lost or somethin’?” the older one asked as they circled Banner, like sharks circling prey.

“N-no...” he stammered.

“You look like you’re lost. Doesn’t he look like he’s lost, Billy?”

“Yeah, Steve. ‘Cause this is our playground, he never asked if he could be here.” said another, slightly smaller boy who was still taller than Bruce.

The rest of the boys snickered and pointed at Bruce, who started to say something but shut his mouth when one of them faked a lunge at him, making Bruce shrink back and raise his hands in front of himself. That only evoked louder laughter from the bullies.

“Alright, we should maybe step in, you think?” Eames looked around at his rejuvenated friends, who all nodded and started to walk towards the crowd.

“Right, we take him back to his house, where we-” Cobb stopped them before they could move much further. “Wait. Look.”

Bruce had lowered his hands and, while the other boys were still crowding around him, getting closer and closer, he wasn’t shrinking back any more. His eyes were most notable, because they were glowing ever so faintly, a light shade of green that was growing darker with each passing second.

“What-”

Before Cobb could finish his sentence, Bruce reacted and lashed out at the nearest boy. The other kids didn’t realize what he was doing until he’d reached out and placed his hand on the shoulder of the taller boy, Steve, and squeezed. Steve cried out in pain, collapsing to his knees, and with just the flick of Bruce’s wrist the boy went flying a dozen feet or more back, stopping only as he collided with the playground’s chain link fence.

“Jesus, how did he do that?” Ariadne asked.

“Hell if I know, this wasn’t in the brief.” Arthur answered, backing up now along with the others as Bruce turned to the rest of the kids, his eyes a deep, angry hue of green. The boy’s body was growing, already towering over the other kids as his clothes ripped and tore away from his flesh, which was also turning that same shade of green.

Rather than reaching out for another one of his tormentors, Banner opened his mouth and roared, the sound of which drowned out everything in the immediate vicinity, including the apparent cries of terror from the other children who turned tail and ran away from him. Cobb and his crew were frozen in place, however, staring at the once small Banner who was somehow still growing. His form now dwarfed even his human size, his forearms and legs larger than either of their childhood bodies.

Banner stopped roaring and turned to face them, a sneer on his face.

“Run!” was all Cobb could muster, no matter how futile it might have been to try and evade such a colossus.

With a simple lift of his right leg, Banner stomped on the ground, causing the very earth to shake and knocking them all on their behinds. Moving with a speed that belied his enormous stature, Banner scooped them up, two in each hand, and headed for the monkey bars. There he hung each of them precariously from the metal structure, easily breaking off and bending the rungs to wrap around their arms and trap them there despite their cries of protest. Before long all four of them were dangling helplessly from the modified structure, completely at his mercy.


	5. Chapter 5

Yusuf hadn’t noticed Banner’s body twitching, not at first. He’d been paying attention to the equipment, monitoring the output levels of the compound to ensure everyone stayed under for the proscribed period of time. Black Widow and Hawkeye were with him but they were concentrating on standing watch and making sure no one on the outside disturbed what was going on inside the store. No one was expecting anyone on the inside to disturb the proceedings.

When Banner’s hidden half sprung his trap on Cobb and the others in the dream state, it caused a reaction to his sleeping self as well. The Hulk began to emerge, his body undergoing the same transition as his dream body did. It was the sound of tearing clothing and the protest of the table on which Bruce’s body lay, strong enough for Banner but not for the Hulk, that first caught Yusuf’s attention.

“What in the hell is happening?” He called out for the SHIELD agents to come see, all the while scrambling for his MP3 player. He had to play the trigger song, because if this was happening outside he dreaded to think what Cobb and the others were facing inside the dream.

*****

With the team held securely in place by the repurposed monkey bars, the Hulk scooped up the lunch box Cobb had dropped, opening it carefully with his gigantic hands.

“What’s he doing now?” Arthur whispered, testing his bent metal restraints to no avail.

“It looks like Banner’s defences are kicking in, and how.” muttered Cobb, looking up at his own crudely formed shackles and then back at the green monstrosity before them. “If that... thing’s got any of Banner’s intellect inside its skull them...”

The Hulk found out how to extract the leads from the case, then laid the case down on the ground and began carefully pulling them out, attaching them to each of them in turn. All they could do was look at each other as he calmly set things up.

“How is this even possible? I mean, I know some people have specialized training in mental defense but this, this is...” Arthur looked at the behemoth as he adjusted the equipment in preparation for whatever he had in store for them. It would have been comical had they not been in immediate peril. “This is impossible.”

“There’s a lot of important things SHIELD neglected to tell us, obviously.” Cobb said.

“That’s the understatement of the century.” muttered Ariadne.

“I just want to know, if he’s like this here, what’s happening up above?” Eames turned his eyes skyward as if he could see anything that way.

Then none of them could see anything as the Hulk activated the briefcase and the compound within knocked them all out, this time for an unknown destination.

*****

“Get them out, now!” Natasha bellowed, reaching for her comm as she did so. Clint had already whipped out his bow and was checking his arrow supply. The remaining SHIELD agents were outside the store, executing their commands to clear the immediate area as quickly and as thoroughly as possible.

“I’m trying, I’m trying!” Yusuf had already begun to blast the trigger song, which should spring them back to reality in a matter of seconds. Depending on how far down they had delved, however, the effects of time dilation meant they’d be encountering... whatever it was Banner had become in there for a much longer period of time. He wondered just how much damage the man was capable of, how much of that his friends were getting to see firsthand in the dream, and how much he would get to see once the giant came to shortly.

“We’ve got an imminent Code Green here, sir.” said Natasha, still speaking into the comm. “No sir, not yet, but it’s only a matter of time.” Pause. “How do I know? He’s already... you know, sir.” Her eyes flicked nervously over Banner’s prone, transformed form, her muscles tensed and ready to spring into action at any moment.

Finally finding the arrow for which he’d been looking, Clint clicked a button on his bow and loaded his weapon. “Hope you’re a good runner, Yusuf.”

Yusuf just looked up at the SHIELD agent, then checked his wristwatch. Any second now and he’d find out. 

*****

Opening their eyes, the team found they were no longer bound and hanging from a set of monkey bars as children. Instead they were their normal selves, standing in a large, white walled room. There was nothing else in the room with them, and the most striking thing about their new environment was the silence.

Cobb was the first to move, placing his hands up over his head protectively and looking around for their enemy. There was no sign of the Hulk at all, which was both relieving and frightening at the same time.

“Where are we?” Eames moved towards the lone window in the room, gazing carefully through of it in case someone was laying in wait for them outside.

They all followed him over, looking at the vast expanse of desert outside. There were a few other structures visible from where they stood, all of which appeared empty and in various states of disrepair.

“This looks familiar, kinda. Not sure why, but it does.” Ariadne turned and surveyed their clinical quarters, then went to the lone door on the opposite wall. As she opened it, a body lunged after her, causing her to shriek and jump back.

“Ariadne! Are you ok?” Arthur yelled as they ran over to assist her, stopping short when they saw what it was that had attacked her. Next to her prone body on the floor lay a crash test dummy, or something that resembled one at any rate.

“What in the hell?” Cobb kneeled down and examined the doll. “This is just bizarre. And not that I want to find him, not all... green and whatever, anyway, but where’s Banner?”

“Oh no, this... guys, I think I know where we are.” Ariadne sat up, a shocked look on her face.

“Where are we th-” Eames paused when a blinding flash of light flooded the room, causing them all to shield their eyes.

Ariadne jumped to her feet, throwing the door wide open to reveal a humongous mushroom shaped cloud off in the distance, the earth below it aflame as the blossom of death expanded into the air and belched out black smoke.

“It’s an atomic bomb test site, oh God, he’s sent us here t-”

Roaring winds interrupted her from the explosion’s powerful shockwave as it charged towards them. Buildings just like the one they found themselves in were splintered and blown to smithereens, just like they would be in mere moments.

*****

The blaring sound of their trigger song suddenly filled Cobb’s ears. He blinked as he sat up, awake in what must have been the remains of the white walled room after the shockwave hit them. That couldn’t be, he reasoned, as surely they were all pulverized beyond recognition and burnt to a crisp. He rubbed his eyes and realized that they weren’t in the dream after all, but the remains of the store they’d brought Banner into earlier that day. Something bad had happened to it, and dealing from the immense structural damage and the extremely large giant shaped hole in the wall, it didn’t take him long to guess what - or who - had caused it.

The rest of the team was waking up and coming to grips with the same thing. Over in the corner they saw Yusuf, curled up in the fetal position and shaking. Their SHIELD escorts were nowhere to be found.

“Cobb... what did that mean?” Ariadne asked after several seconds had passed.

“It means we failed.”

*****

Hours later, Black Widow and Hawkeye were themselves aboard the SHIELD Helicarrier, having just been debriefed following their report to Fury. During the second level of the team’s inception attempt, they presume Banner’s psychic defenses, namely the Hulk, kicked in and took over. With the combination of Banner’s intellect and the Hulk’s raw power working together, in the dream state at least, they were no match for it, and it sent the team down another layer where it planned to destroy them while Banner woke up and escaped. Thankfully Yusuf’s reaction and the trigger pulled them out in the nick of time, instead of sending them all to linger in limbo for who knows how long. During the relatively brief time they were in last layer to them, however, due to time dilation several minutes had elapsed in the waking world, in which time the Hulk smashed his way out of the store and escaped. SHIELD gave chase, most notably Clint and Natasha, but they were unable to restrain him. Instead, Banner carved a swath of destruction until he reached the open desert, where he simply disappeared.

“What now?” Clint looked out a nearby window at the scenery. They were sailing somewhere above Pakistan, trying to track down the green giant they’d inadvertently unleashed on the ground below.

“What the boss said. We lay low and wait for them to call us in when the next opportunity presents itself.” She’d been re-assigned to field work back in her native land as a consequence of their failure, not something she’d particularly wanted to do but the repercussions could’ve been far worse.

“Right.” Clint’s punishment took him out of the field, where he wanted to be, and relegated him to the role of an observer. It bothered him to no small degree, as instead of being partnered with Natasha they’d be continents apart, and all he could do was twiddle his thumbs. “I caught that part. What are they going to do, I mean?”

Natasha shrugged. “They track Banner and call us in if - when - we get another shot at him. In the meantime Fury continues with his pet project and moves on to the next piece of the puzzle.”

“The higher ups aren’t going to like it.” Clint retorted.

“Doesn’t matter. You know Fury as well as I do.” she said, a slight grin on her face. “One way or another, the Avengers Initiative will continue as planned.”


End file.
